She’s a Dreamer! 5 Things to Know About Dreams
Dreams are..
Dreams. As a young child, we probably didn’t understand them too well. All we knew was that if we closed our eyes, darkness would fall everywhere. Then, something amazing would happen! An image, thought or sound appears and we transport to a magical landscape. Yeah, that’s pretty much how an adult describes dreams to kids. Trust me, I have three younger siblings. But, let’s suppose that we’re grown-ups. And, we want to learn more about dreams. Well, adjust your pillows and night lights… we’re going to learn five important facts about dreams!
Healthy Dreams?
You’ve heard of the saying: Sweet Dreams. But, what if I told you that dreams are healthy too?In fact, researchers have discovered that we actually need to dream, as it “serves its own important functions in our well-being”. We know that the less we sleep, the more susceptible we are to heart disease, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease. But, it’s more than just the sleep deprivation that leads to problems –it’s the lack of dreaming as well. Moreover, if we are deprived of deep REM sleep and the dreams it allows, it becomes difficult to go about doing what we have to do. This is because dreaming helps restore our brains; the healing permits us to subconsciously process things, work through real-life fears, and restructure memories.
More than One Per Night
We usually have four-six dreams every night. The duration is anywhere from a minute to twenty minutes each. How is this even possible? Well, sleep happens in cycles; people typically get to REM sleep, which is required for dreams to happen, about the same amount of times a night. So if we look at it in terms of time, in an eight hour sleep period, a person might spend two of them dreaming. So, get ready to dream. You’re going to be doing a lot of it!
Everybody Dreams, Right??
WRONG! There’s an exception to the “everyone dreams” rule. People who’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury may find that they no longer dream. This is potentially a result of damage to the part of the brain that involved in emotion, memory, and imagination. Therefore, you should be happy that you get to dream. It’s a blessing and a privilege.
Don’t Touch My Dream Journal!
I know what you’re thinking. This girl has a journal for everything. She’s got an improvement diary, a fitness checker, a gratitude journal and here’s another friend! But, there’s more to it than you know. So ladies and gentlemen. Prepare to be amazed!! We dream and then this happens. You forget that dream. It happens frequently to many people (but not to me because… um.. I have a dream journal duh!) because no matter how memorable the dream might have been, we can’t help but lost so many of the details upon waking.
Being able to recall dreams is actually a skill that can be improved. You can do this by jotting down everything you remember about your dreams upon waking up each day, so be sure to keep a pen and paper by your bed at night! Or you can just write it on your smartphone as soon as you wake up. Whatever works for you.
Lucid Dreams
No. I’m not referring to Juice Wrld‘s track. But, it is fantastic and you should listen to it. Here, I’m talking about a whole other phenomenon. A lucid dream is defined as “a communication from the dream to the outside world, while the dream was happening” (LaBerge). Simply, it is when a person knows that they’re dreaming. Amazing, right? In fact, a person can even control what takes place in the dream if it is a lucid one. I’m super jealous not since most of my dreams don’t make much sense. In their study titled “General Knowledge About Lucid Dreaming” published in 2018, the scientists on the Lucid Dream Research team concluded that only about 20 percent of people lucid dream. I’m willing to bet Juice Wrld was one of these rare people (may he rest in peace).
Now that you understood dreams, why don’t you get to know sleeping positions? Click here for more information!
Some of us are facing problems. And it’s perfectly okay. Want some free advice from qualified therapists? Check this out!
Currently, I am a student of Fatima Jinnah Women University. With a burning passion for psychology, words, and dreams, I decided to abandon medical studies for humanities. These days, when I’m not listening to ballads, watching movies, or sitting down with a good novel, I am rigorously studying Hangul (Korean language) to satisfy my obsession for BTS and K dramas. I’m a thinking introvert and INFJ personality. Therefore, I like ‘me time’. My articles typically resonate with psychological well-being advice.
